AMC-10 (GE 10)

Launch data: Designation 28154 / 04003A Launch date 05 Feb 2004 - 23:46 UT Launch site CC, SLC-36A Launch vehicle Atlas-2AS (#143/AC-165) Mission  Commercial: Communications Earth orbit on 5 Feb: Perigee / Apogee 210 / 35727 km Inclination 12,41° Period 630,12 min Geostationary orbit on 15 Feb 2004: Perigee / Apogee 35776 x 35801 km Eccentricity  2.61E-04 Inclination 0.05 ° Period 1436.19 min

An artist's concept of AMC-10 in orbit. Credit: Lockheed Martin

C-band

Mission details:

• The Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket roared away from Earth at 6:46 p.m. EST (2346 GMT) carrying the 5,159-pound AMC-10 spacecraft.
• Delayed 50 minutes by a balky helium valve, engineers overcame the glitch to reschedule the liftoff with 20 minutes to spare in the day's available launch window.
• Centaur AC-165 reached a 185 x 185 km orbit at 23:55 UT. The second Centaur burn at 00:09 UT on Feb 6 put the satellite in geostationary transfer orbit. AMC-10 will replace Satcom C-4. The AMC (Americom) series of satellites descends from the original RCA Americom system first launched in 1975 as one of the earliest private telecom satellite networks.
• SES AMERICOM hopes to have the satellite in full service by early May, replacing the aging Satcom C-4 satellite at the 135-degree West longitude orbital slot. From that vantage point, dozens of television networks will be transmitted to AMC-10 for relay to cable companies across America. Those companies in turn pipe the programming to subscribers in over 80 million U.S. homes.
• Networks that will use AMC-10 include Animal Planet, Bravo, CNBC, C-SPAN, numerous Discovery channels, E!, Flix, Food Network, History Channel, Home & Garden Television, Home Shopping Network, iN DEMAND, MTV, Nickelodeon, QVC, Showtime, The Learning Channel, Travel Channel, TV Land, VH-1 and The Weather Channel.
• AMC-10 will be joined in orbit by its twin, AMC-11, when it's launched May 19 aboard another Atlas 2AS rocket.
  Providing nearly 20 percent more power than the Satcoms they are replacing, the AMC pair will offer enhanced digital programming and high-definition channels. They each feature 24 C-band transponders and planned service lives of 15 years.